After failing to reach a plea agreement, Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will go to trail July 23 in Minneapolis to fight impaired boating charges, reports the Winnipeg Sun.
The charges stem from an Aug. 31 incident on Lake Minnetonka when Byfuglien was arrested for boating while intoxicated. He’s also been charged with refusing to take a chemical test to see if he was under the influence of drugs.
“Mr. Byfuglien’s speech was slurred, he was unsteady on his feet, his eyes were bloodshot and watery and he smelled of a consumed alcoholic beverage,” Deputy Ben Bierbaum of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office wrote in the arrest report. “Mr. Byfuglien was unable to successfully perform field sobriety tests as requested.”
Byfuglien did pass a breathalyzer test, registering .03, which is below the legal limit of .08.
Byfuglien’s lawyer, Mitch Robinson, is confident his client will be exonerated, though he’s not sure if he wants to put him on the stand.
Robinson also says it’s not “absolutely clear” whether a conviction could keep Byfuglien from crossing the border to play hockey.